Love Was Stronger Than Fear
by Irhaboggles
Summary: It was a lesson Maleficent didn't used to believe, but after all she had been through in the past few days, her perspective had shifted again. Seeing the lengths to which people and fairies would both go in the name of love made Maleficent realize that maybe that silly little fairytale lesson wasn't quite so silly after all.


_Love was stronger than fear._

Aurora was afraid. Even though she was ecstatic beyond words, she was afraid. From the second Prince Phillip got down on one knee and pulled out a ring, Aurora's entire world had come to a screeching halt. He had asked her to marry him. She, of course, had said yes, and had felt no doubts or hesitations, but deep underneath it, she had been scared. Very scared. This was just such a big step for her! It was such a big deal! But that was the thing, as scary as this new chapter of her life would be, her love for Prince Phillip overrode that fear and even though she was scared, her excitement far outweighed her nerves.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Aurora, Maleficent and Diaval were afraid. They were ready, excited and hopeful (or at least, Aurora and Diaval were, Maleficent was a tad more cynical), but underneath that more upbeat and positive exterior, there was fear. Prince Phillip had invited all three of them to dinner to meet his family and they were all terrified. This was a _huge_ deal, _the _first impression with the new in-laws. It absolutely _had _to go off without a single hitch! So of course, tensions were high and actions were taken that would later be regretted… But could anyone blame any of them? It was hard enough already, trying to meet a love interest's parents. It became that much harder, then, when the visiting party consisted of a powerful "evil" fairy and a shapeshifting raven-man and the girl that they raised together in the Moors. It wasn't exactly the most normal of dinner parties by a long shot. But hope won out and as nervous as everyone was, they went forward with the plan. Their desire for peace, love and unity outweighed fear long enough to carry them to Prince Phillip's castle. Even Maleficent gave it her all, practicing smiling and talking without being intimidating or awkward! (Admittedly, though, it didn't go very well, but at least she was trying).

_Love was stronger than fear._

It quickly became clear that Prince Phillip and his father, King John, were terrified of Maleficent, but despite their fears, they did their best to be as kind, gentle, welcoming and understanding as possible. They were polite and sincere with the ex-queen of the Moors and even though she scared them half to death just by looking at them, they greeted her with open arms and smiling faces. The unity of their family was more important to them than allowing petty fears and prejudices to stand in the way of it.

_Love was stronger than fear._

As Conall led Maleficent through his world, _their _world, the last of the Dark Fairies, he spoke of peace between his kind, _their _kind, and humankind. He spoke of forgiveness, unity, mutuality and understanding. He preached against violence, war, slaughter and blood. He insisted that trying to take an offensive stance against the humans would only end in loss and he tried to get Maleficent to understand that the Dark Fairies were already naturally inclined towards peace, justice and gentleness anyway. Sure, there was anger amongst the dwindling lot, but Maleficent saw so much love within the dying fairy kingdom as well. Laughing fay children soaring through underground caverns. Dancing fay who used flame and earth to sing songs of hope and life. Magic fay who worked with the very spirit and essence of life itself to survive and remain hopeful. They were creatures of the Dark Fairy Phoenix, the ultimate symbolism of resurrection, return, survival and life after and in spite of death. Finding love within the hatred and bravery and joy within the fear and anger and misery, that was what Conall was about, and to him, Maleficent's love for Aurora was the most perfect example of love triumphing over fear, of love surpassing all boundaries, natural or unnatural. She was everything he stood for.

_Love was stronger than fear._

When Conall sacrificed himself to protect Maleficent and Borra, his more aggressive co-leader, although he had been afraid, his love for both of them outshined that. He had been terrified of dying, and terrified of the pain, but his love for his friends and family overrode those fears. Then his visions of the future where peace reigned supreme gave him the courage to close his eyes and sleep. He was willing to face iron and death if the things he loved were standing behind him. And Maleficent was there when he died, facing the final and greatest foe of all. She watched the life essence seep out of him and into her. His love flowed into her. But so did his anger and pain and fear.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Even though all of the fairy folk were still wary of humankind, when word got out that they were all invited to Aurora's wedding to Phillip, they flocked to the castle gates in excitement and hope. They were scared, nervous, tense… but their love for Aurora drove them forward regardless. It gave them the strength to walk amongst humans. The hope and joy of seeing their beloved queen marry the man of her dreams gave them the courage to walk into the chapel and take a seat. It was scary to have so many human eyes watching them with such distrust, but their love for Aurora made it a little bit easier to tolerate the mistrust from the other humans.

_Love was stronger than fear._

When the fairy folk finally realized that the wedding invitations had been fraud, tricking them into walking right into a deathly trap, fear won. Chaos and panic reigned supreme as they were picked off in the chapel where they stood. There was no escape. No way to fight. They could only panic and perish. Until one of them realized that her love for her sisters outweighed her fear of death. She loved them too much to let them get hurt. She loved them more than she loved herself. She loved her sisters and was willing to pay any price to protect them, even if the cost was her own life. As frightened as she had been before, in her seconds before death, she had never felt braver. Love surged through her heart as she flew forward to protect the people that she loved one last time.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Lickspittle had lost his wings. Mutilated and enslaved, he felt like less than the dirty shambles he worked in. He masked his fear and shame behind anger, contempt, bitterness and disdain. He seemed callous and cruel, totally apathetic to the suffering of others, but that was only because he feared his mistress and tormentor far too much. But when a girl came to him, she managed to shake him out of it and remind him that a life lived in fear was hardly a life worth living at all. She reminded him that the things that had been done to him did not define him or his inherent worth. It was a scary thing to be told, after spending years thinking he was less than the dirt he walked on, but the love behind the lesson sank past his deep-seeded fear and in one final moment, he managed to find the compassion he thought he no longer possessed. It was scary, being good and helpful, but it was what was right and that was all that mattered to him now.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Even though the guards were terrified, when Maleficent and her army of Dark Fay came through the skies like a black rain of death, they stood proud and tall, loyal to a fault as they fought to and with their last breath to protect the people kingdom that they loved. They were scared and hurt, but they fought on regardless because they loved their kingdom more than they feared their enemies. They held fast and steady, loyal and true, never once flinching or disobeying a command from their courageous general. He was the bravest of them all, because he was the most loyal to the people, willing to go to any length to protect the kingdom, even if it meant facing his own greatest fears. And then when word began to make round that the war had to end, although it went against the general's nature to allow a fairy to live peacefully, he never wavered in his duty to the crown. He was willing to go to any length to protect the kingdom, even if it meant facing his own greatest fears, and this time, his greatest fear was calling for peace. But if it would keep the kingdom safe, then he would do it. He would drop his sword and pick up a white flag if it would protect the people and place he loved.

_Love was stronger than fear._

When Maleficent finally had Ingrith right where she wanted her, Aurora managed to fight her way onto the scene, arriving just in the nick of time. Throwing herself between the two queens, she practically begged on her knees for Maleficent to come back to her. Aurora was scared out of her wits by then, bloodied and bruised, but she continued to fight, even though this battle came in the form of surrender and begging instead of force and violence. She begged and cried. She showed her weakness and vulnerability. That was how she was brave. By being scared and showing it, she was being brave, because she loved what was at stake far more than trying to remain stoic. She was scared, but that was exactly what drove her to be so courageous. Despite her fears, she looked Maleficent dead in the eye and called her mother. Not godmother. Just mother.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Maleficent saw Ingrith's arrow first. She knew what it did. She saw where it was pointed. She jumped in front of it as fast as she could. She was scared. Scared of it, and of death. She was scared of pain. She didn't want to be shot. But she loved Aurora too much to let anything happen to her. She loved Aurora more than she feared her own death. And just like Aurora, when fear and love combined, anything was possible. What Maleficent feared more than her own death was Aurora's, so when she saw the arrow, she jumped forward.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Again, only moments later, Aurora's life was in peril, and again, Maleficent came to her rescue. As scared as Maleficent was, her love for Aurora would always override her fears and she would always be there to catch Aurora when she fell, every single time. But Maleficent wasn't the only one saving a life. When Prince Phillip and Borra came to blows, the general nearly sacrificed himself to protect his prince. In return, Phillip defeated Borra but, despite knowing that it would be safest to execute the violent fairy while it was still possible, Phillip set aside all of his fears and dropped his sword. There would be no fay blood on his hands today. It was scary to let a warmonger like Borra go, but Phillip refused to be a victim of fear any longer. He made his case clear before dropping the sword away from Borra's neck. Then it was Borra's turn to be brave. All he knew was war and suffering. All he knew was how to hurt and be hurt. Despite this, however, he found the courage to love and accept. He accepted Phillip's surrender for what it was before issuing one of his own in return. It was the scariest thing he'd ever done, hold up a white flag instead of a sword, but the lives of his people meant more to him than his insecurities and fears, so he did indeed drop the sword and pick up a white flag.

_Love was stronger than fear._

With the battle over and peace restored, everyone was scared. There was tension and pain in the air, but both sides were done being afraid. They dropped their defenses, literally and metaphorically, and offered aid wherever they could. Enemies helped one another back onto their feet and dusted each other off. There was still distrust between the armies, but they were learning to love and be brave. Maleficent took this time to speak to Borra and tell him to "come home". By then, the Dark Fairy was starting to allow love and compassion back into his scarred heart again and when she requested this of him, he agreed to it. The next time they would meet, the warpaint would be gone from his face, another example of a defense being lowered. Borra still had no idea how to live in peace, but for the sake of his people, and his own personal health, he was willing to try.

_Love was stronger than fear._

Prince Phillip managed to stand tall in the face of fear twice that battle, once during the actual combat and once when Maleficent came to talk to him in the aftermath. She asked him if he loved Aurora, her _daughter_. Looking at Maleficent, Phillip had been terrified. She was tall, powerful, scary and a literal phoenix queen, having just turned into a giant phoenix and destroyed half the castle only two minutes ago. But then his eyes slid over to Aurora. His Aurora. The kind, gentle, brave, compassionate and wise Aurora, and all of his fears and doubts faded away. While looking at her, the girl he loved and supported, it became so much easier to answer Maleficent's question with honesty and certainty. That was because, even though it had been Maleficent's question to him, he knew in his heart that he was answering to Aurora. "Do you love her?" became "Do you love me?" and Phillip knew the answer to that latter question better than he knew the back of his own hand. This display of his love for Aurora shielding him from his fear of Maleficent impressed and pleased Maleficent enough for her to finally bless his and Aurora's union.

_Love was stronger than fear._

It was a lesson Maleficent didn't used to believe, let alone agree with or support. But after all she had been through in the past few days, her perspective had shifted again. She still wasn't quite sure how she felt about love, but she could at least say that she had seen all kinds of it in the more recent days. It was just enough to restore a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of her faith in humanity. Seeing Phillip stand up to her for Aurora and seeing Borra willing to stand down from war for peace made her realize that. Seeing the lengths to which people and fairies would both go in the name of love made Maleficent realize that maybe that silly little fairytale lesson wasn't quite so silly after all. Hadn't she done the very same thing herself not too long ago? Aurora had stood up to her in the name of love and then Maleficent had done the same and then they had both protected each other from Ingrith. So maybe, just maybe, Maleficent could learn to believe that love was stronger than fear…

"Will you give me away?" Aurora asked Maleficent shyly.

"Never!" came the passionate and disbelieving reply. Hadn't they already reaffirmed their love and support for one another? Maleficent would never ever make the mistake of giving up on Aurora ever again!

"No, not like that," Aurora let out a weak laugh. "I meant, would you walk me down the aisle?"

"Oh…" well, that wasn't much better…

For a second, Maleficent almost thought about refusing. This was the one thing that scared her most of all: losing Aurora. Literally or metaphorically, it was Maleficent's biggest fear: a life without her daughter. It was what had set all of this into motion in the first place! And now here they were, at the end of all of that mess, and Aurora was asking her the same question that set it off in the first place all over again… So, Maleficent supposed, that left the decision up to her and in order to prevent this entire mess from starting all over again, there really was only one answer she could have. Love would be stronger than fear once more and yes, Maleficent would walk Aurora down the aisle…

Wedding music. Hushed awe. Wet eyes. Pounding hearts. An adoring congregation. Maleficent held Aurora close until they got to the altar. She held on for a second longer. They locked eyes. For one second, there was nothing but fear in Maleficent's.

"Let go," Dival's soft and reassuring whisper filled Maleficent's head and, painful though it was, she did. Transposed over Dival's whispered command was a reassuring voice that said "love is stronger than fear" and Maleficent smiled to herself and agreed. Then she let Aurora go. She released her hold on the young girl's arm and felt Aurora slide away from her. It stung. Her heart and eyes both began to burn. She felt an empty ache as Aurora walked away from her and towards Phillip, but that hollowness was quickly filled by something bittersweet and strong…

"Pull yourself together!" she hissed at Dival when he wiped at his eyes. She did the same thing barely two seconds later. It terrified and hurt her to let Aurora go, but she knew it had to happen. She loved Aurora more than anything, so if letting go was what Aurora needed…

But letting go did not mean saying goodbye forever.

"Will you stay for a while?" Aurora asked, Phillip at her side and the wedding well over.

"Perhaps for a time," came Maleficent's breezy reply.

"Good," the new king and queen both smiled up at the Dark Fairy.

"I will be back for the christening," she said, then she winked playfully at them before flying away. Phillip and Aurora exchanged embarrassed and nervous looks before their mirth and adoration for one another rendered them to laughter. Their laughter followed Maleficent as she soared back home to the Moors alone. Aurora was not coming back with her this time. It still scared and saddened her a bit, but as much as Maleficent knew she was going to miss seeing her little Beastie all the time, she already loved Aurora so much more than that, that it almost felt easy to let the girl go.

It was like Maleficent had thought earlier, if letting go was what Aurora needed… then that's exactly what she'd do. It was what happened when love overrode everything else. Even fear could do nothing but flee in the face of _true love_. This was the way Maleficent felt for Aurora. It was true love. And love was stronger than fear. If nothing else, Maleficent had learned that lesson all too well over the past few days, so even though she felt scared flying back home alone without Aurora, she already knew that everything would be ok in the end. She would be ok. Aurora would be ok. They would all be ok. Because all of their hearts were filled with love and love was always stronger than fear.

**AN: Just saw the sequel as of 10/18/19 and man what a movie it was! I still think I personally prefer the original, but I love the world building of the sequel and I like the more original plotline (and we also got more mother-daughter moments, which is exactly why I adored the first film so much) so this one is a movie I'm so glad I got to see when it came out. I don't regret it at all. It was a very sweet film.**


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